英語科普小文章

　　隨著科普教育的發展，科普閱讀也越來越受到重視。下面是小編帶來的，歡迎閱讀!

　　我們會低估自己的重量

　　In a world full of mirrors, what I'm about to tell you may be a surprise. But many overweight people do not know they're obese. They underestimate their weight, according to a study in the journal Body Image.

　　在這如同明鏡一般的社會裡，我即將告訴你的事情可能會讓你感到吃驚。《身體意象》雜誌組織的研究顯示，許多超重的人都不知道他們自己過度肥胖，而是低估了自己的重量。

　　Researchers documented the height, weight and body mass index of more than 3,500 Mexican undergraduate students. Then they questioned the students about their weights. The reported poundage differed significantly from reality, especially among males.

　　調查人員記錄了3 500名墨西哥大學肄業生的身高、體重和體質指數。然後他們向學生詢問其體重。學生們的回答與真實情況相去甚遠，尤其是男性。

　　More than 33 percent of the males were overweight or obese but less than 17 percent characterized themselves as being in either category. And though more than 27 percent of the women were overweight or obese, only 21 percent believed they were. The heavier the student the more likely they were to underestimate their weight.

　　超過33%的男性超重或者是極度肥胖，然而如此描述自己的人低於17%。儘管超過27%的女性超重或者是過度肥胖，真正相信這一情況的只有21%。越胖的學生越容易低估自己的體重。

　　The study took place in Mexico because that country has the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the world. But undergrads in the U.S. are even more likely to underestimate their weight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers note that recognizing a weight problem early on is crucial for weight control as people age. Or you can wind up buying a bigger belt every year.

　　墨西哥擁有世界上最高的肥胖率和糖尿病率，因此研究特意選在墨西哥展開。但是美國疾病預防控制中心顯示，美國的肄業生更容易低估他們的體重。研究者指出，及早地認識到體重問題對成長過程中體重控制起到決定性作用。要不然你就年復一年“衣帶漸瘦終不悔”吧!

　　2

　　記憶力不由年紀決定

　　Senior citizens, don't believe the hype. Because a new study finds that older folks who accept that seniors' memories get worse do worse on memory tests. The finding was published in the journal Experimental Aging Research.

　　老年人們，不要相信那些年紀越老記憶力越差的說法，因為最近一項新的研究發現，那些接受這種說法的老年人真的“自暴自棄”，在記憶力測試中一塌糊塗。這個發現發表在《老齡化實驗研究》這份期刊上。

　　Scientists interested in the effects of stereotype on memory enlisted 103 seniors between 60-and 82-years-old to take a memory test. Before the test, some subjects were told that the test checked the effects of age on memory. Researchers call this a threat—it reminds participants of the stereotype. That group was also asked to write down their age after reading the instructions, again homing in on the stereotype. The other group was told that the test controlled for biases. This could make them feel more secure. Researchers also gave participants a stigma consciousness questionnaire to test how strongly they bought into negative stereotypes.

　　一些關注老齡化對記憶力影響的科學家們邀請了103位年紀在60歲和82歲之間的老年人蔘與了一次記憶力測試。在測試前，一組老年人被告知這次實驗的目的就是測試年齡對記憶力的影響。科學家們把這個稱為“消極暗示”，讓參與者們把年齡和記憶力聯絡到了一起。這組老年人也被要求在閱讀完測試說明之後寫下自己的年紀，再次強調了先前的暗示。另一組老年人則被告知，這次實驗的目的是糾正年紀越大記憶力越差的說法，這屬於“積極暗示”。科學家們也向參與者們提供了一份自我意識的測試問卷，以調查他們對老齡化消極作用的看法。

　　The results: participants who got reminded of their age and the old age, poor memory stereotype did significantly worse. Those who say they feel stigmatized also performed more poorly. So your memory may function better just by believing that it will. In which case, you really will eventually figure out where you left your car keys.

　　實驗的結果是：那些被暗示“上了年紀記憶力就會變差”的人在記憶測試中明顯表現的更糟糕;那些覺得老齡化消極作用大的人也表現得比沒有這種看法的人更差。所以，你相信自己的記憶力能有多好，它就有多好。那麼，下次你就不用為找不見車鑰匙而著急了，只要相信自己能想起來，你最終會找到的。

　　3

　　清新氣味讓你更慷慨

　　When you're done listening to this podcast, grab whatever product you use to clean. Maybe it'ssomething that smells really citrusy. Do a bit of cleaning. Then take a few deep breaths. Believeit or not the odds are now higher that you'll make decisions that are both more fair and moregenerous than you would have without smelling the cleanser. That's according to researchpublished in the journal Psychological Science.

　　當你聆聽這段音訊時***按：要收聽原文音訊，請點選原文連結***，請隨手拿起你平時用來做清潔的物品，那上邊可能就帶著一種柑橘香。把它洗乾淨，然後做幾次深呼吸。信不信由你，你現在做決定時會比沒聞到清潔劑味道之前更公正更慷慨，這是發表在《心理科學》雜誌上的一篇研究報告宣稱的。

　　Study subjects were tested in two different rooms. One room had recently been spritzed withcitrus-scented glass cleaner. The first test evaluated fairness—how much real money theparticipants were willing to share with an anonymous partner in another room. Participants inthe clean-smelling room offered twice as much cash.

　　研究者讓實驗志願者們分別在兩個不同的房間接受測試，其中一個房間最近剛剛噴灑過柑橘味的空氣清新劑。第一項測試是用來評估這種氣味對受試者公正性和慷慨度的影響，問題是——你願意掏出多少現金送給另一個房間內的實驗搭檔?噴灑過空氣清新劑房間內的受試者掏出的錢是另一個房間受試者提供的現金額的兩倍。

　　In the second test, subjects gauged how interested they were in volunteering for Habitat forHumanity and in donating money. Those in the clean-smelling room said they were significantlymore interested in volunteering and almost three times more likely to donate money.

　　在第二項測試中，實驗志願者們被問及對做公益志願者和慈善捐款的興趣如何。那些身處空氣清新房間內的受試者表現得更積極主動，自稱願意捐款的人數是另一個房間的三倍之多。

　　Researchers claim that clean smells thus promote moral behavior. And that schools,workplaces and stores could take advantage of the finding. So if you're being virtuous, maybeyou're following the rules because you're following your nose.

　　研究者們據此稱，清新的氣味有助於提高人們的道德情操。這樣，像學校、工作場所或是商店這樣的地方就能好好利用這一發現。如果有一天你變得高尚起來，很可能是受了自己鼻子的指引。